The First Cut is the Deepest
The First Cut is the Deepest is a case featured in Criminal Case, it appears as the eighteenth case in A World Forgotten and the two hundred and seventh overall. It takes place as the sixth and final case in the Westfall district of Ravenedge. Plot Post-discovery that Ida Stanbury had orchestrated the attacks in Westfall to further her own political agenda, Charity rushed forwards and vowed to be the one to arrest Ida for her crimes, including the pre-meditated murder of her husband. After the team caught up to her, they found Charity looking on at the Stanbury manor, burning to ash. Charity insisted she hadn't touched the manor and instructed the team stay back as the detectives hurried in, despite Charity's warnings, shielding themselves from the flames. Sienna soon spotted a trail of blood leading to the foyer, where a man was found tied to two posts amongst the flames, lashed to death; the body belonging to amateur crook Evan Matthews. As Moira vented about voting for Ida, she confirmed Evan died from extreme sudden shock resulting from the lashing. She also narrowed down the killer's profile, before the team suspected mansion maid Irina Harrington, Havisham heir and known playboy Sebastian Havisham, and firefighter August Gauthier. The player and Sienna also reluctantly questioned Charity due to her presence on the scene, where she opted to step back from the investigation, despite her wishes to catch Ida. The team then recapped, as Hope started panicking following the revelations about her parents. Hope then fled into the night, wanting to escape, as Antonio insisted they needed to get to the polling stations, revealing a riot had ensued. Sienna and the player soon rushed to the scene, only to find an out of control crowd, demanding their votes back. As protesters smashed the windows to the polling station, Tobias calmed the raging crowd down. There, they found reason to suspect Valour Party leader Sirius Rourke and journalist Beaufort Devereaux, both nervously awaiting Ida's arrest and the subsequent election. They then discovered that Evan and August were old friends, even serving the firehouse together. However, following an incident, Evan was fired, going on to accuse the firehouse of not doing enough to stop the rampant spread of crime. They also discovered that after Evan was arrested for working for Louise Blantyre, he attempted to blackmail Charity with the knowledge that she was a recovering alcoholic, much to the team's surprise. As the team heard no word from Hope, Draco approached the team, revealing that witnesses had seen someone sneaking into the bomb workshop, potentially to restart Ida's wave of crimes. The team rushed to the workshop with haste, desperate to stop the potential threat. There, they found Beaufort who was sleuthing for a scoop, insisting it was the least he deserved after Ida forced him to manipulate the press in her favour. They also discovered Evan often disrupted the Stanbury mansion with his theories, applying stress to Irina's pregnancy, and that Evan offered to take Ida down for Sirius after she manipulated him and other Slipknot's Way citizens. After Sebastian was confronted for using Evan's sister romantically, the evidence stacked up, and finally, Sirius Rourke was incriminated as the killer. The player and Sienna soon confronted Sirius in the interrogation room, where he demanded they respect him as the future Mayor. He demanded they end their line of inquiry and focus on catching the real criminal; Ida Stanbury. The player, however, pursued, presenting the evidence piece by piece to Sirius, who stayed calm and refused to break. He then gave them a charming smile, before Pedro rushed in, presenting evidence of Sirius’ DNA on the weapon. Sirius finally cracked, admitting he killed Evan and that he was behind the arson. He insisted that he knew Ida was winning the election with a landslide vote, but refused to lose to a woman. Sirius then set his plan into motion; he first met with Evan at his office, where he manipulated Evan and stoked his anger, planting theories in his head. Once Evan was manipulated into agreeing to burn down Ida’s mansion, Evan started monitoring the mansion, casing the area while arguing with the staff. On the day of the election, Sirius and Evan met by the gate, where Evan used his knowledge to sneak the pair in. They then began their plan to kill Ida and burn her mansion, spreading liquor across the building. Before Evan could light the match, Sirius bashed him over the head, tied him up, and lashed him to death to remove his witness. He then lit the match and burned the manor to the ground, hoping to kill Ida. Sirius then laughed, confessing his belief that he wouldn’t be in prison for longer than a day, that Ravenedge needed the leadership of a man through the dark days, and that man would be him. Sienna then handcuffed the Machiavellian candidate, detaining him in a holding cell. Knowing Ida was still on the loose, the team determined to find her, and restore order to Ravenedge. Amethyst soon rushed in, insisting she had completed a psychological profile of Ida Stanbury. Amethyst then suggested Ida would return to her workshop as a final stand against the team. They returned there, searching the area for a while, before finally discovering Ida’s location. Ida then confessed that she was the only person to lead Ravenedge, and that she could’ve fixed it, that she could’ve stopped what happened to Celine Rose from ever happening again, revealing Celine’s death made her more determined to finish her mission and become Mayor. The trio fought, before the pair were finally able to handcuff Ida, sending both her and Sirius to trial. In court, Judge Haddid reminded the deceitful politicians that murder, and cruelty, was the sign of a coward, and that neither of them were fit to be Mayor. She then sentenced the pair to life imprisonment with no chance of parole. Post-trial, Lawrence insisted that Ida’s pin, of a golden rose, was bothering him, and requested to return to her mansion. The pair then searched the ashes, eventually finding Ida’s safe. After unlocking it, they sent the contents to Cornelius to analyse. Cornelius then revealed that Ida’s rose pin bore a symbol that had been painted onto many walls in Angel Grove, the historical district of Ravenedge, declaring that the Ravenedge Institute of Historical Developments had recently had an exhibit vandalised with the rose symbol. Lawrence then decreed that the team needed to perform further investigation into the symbols. Afterwards, Cornelius rushed into the precinct, insisting that a disaster had occurred. He then revealed that his father, businessman Hugo Osborne, had been chosen to serve as Ravenedge’s interim Mayor. As Cornelius wringed his hair, the team were invited to attend Hugo’s inaugural speech at City Hall. There, Hugo, and his wife Genevieve, greeted the city and its journalists, promising prosperity for the citizens. Hugo then revealed that in hindsight of the Westfall attacks, he’d decided to order the destruction of Slipknot’s Way, and launch an investigation into other “dangerous” neighbourhoods, much to Sienna’s outrage. The team wondered what was in store for the future, as Hope returned, with Sebastian in tow. Hope announced that she and Sebastian had bonded during the investigation, and that they were now lovers. Visibly shocked, Charity questioned Hope on her decision, believing Sebastian was only using her. The mother and daughter then argued, prompting Charity to return to her office. Sebastian then charmingly smirked and kissed Hope, much to the team’s shock. An hour later, Charity paced her office, thoughts of Arnold and Hope filling her mind. She then buried her face in her hands, taking out a bottle she’d kept in her cabinet. Charity then poured herself a drink, before sighing, throwing both the bottle and drink away. Tobias then entered her office, detailing the rose insignia found in Angel Grove. With no time to waste, Charity then instructed the team to head to Angel Grove, to investigate the rose symbols found in the district. Summary Victim *'Evan Matthews' (lashed to death amongst the flames) Murder Weapon *'Belt' Killer *'Sirius Rourke' Suspects Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears a watch. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears an “I VOTED” badge. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears a watch. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears an “I VOTED” badge. *The suspect wears a watch. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads Machiavelli. *The suspect uses smelling salts. *The suspect eats red velvet cake. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears an “I VOTED” badge. Quasi-Suspects Killer's Profile *The killer reads Machiavelli. *The killer uses smelling salts. *The killer eats red velvet cake. *The killer wears an “I VOTED” badge. *The killer wears a watch. Crime Scenes Steps Chapter 1 *Investigate Burning Foyer. (Clues: Victim's Body, Cooled Ashes, Floor Hatch Lock, Maid's Pouch) *Examine Lock. (Result: Secret Basement; New Crime Scene: Bomb Workshop) *Investigate Bomb Workshop. (Clues: Bomb Parts, Broken Hat) *Examine Bomb Parts. (Result: Campaign Letter) *Analyze Campaign Letter. (06:00:00; New Suspect: Sebastian Havisham) *Question Sebastian on his presence in the bomb workshop. *Examine Broken Hat. (Result: Firehouse Logo; New Suspect: August Gauthier) *Interrogate August on the fire. *Examine Maid's Pouch. (Result: Identification; New Suspect: Irina Harrington) *Quiz Irina on how the fire started. (New Suspect: Charity Cavendish) *Ask Charity if she saw Ida. *Examine Cooled Ashes. (Result: Lighter) *Analyze Lighter. (05:00:00; Attribute: The killer uses smelling salts) *Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer reads Machiavelli) *Go to Chapter 2. (No stars) Chapter 2 *Investigate Polling Station. (Clues: Smashed Frame, Faded Notepad, Riot Gear; New Suspect: Sirius Rourke) *Interrogate Sirius on the riot outside the polling station. (Attribute: Sirius reads Machiavelli) *Examine Faded Notepad. (Result: Shorthand) *Analyze Shorthand. (08:00:00; New Suspect: Beaufort Devereaux) *Question Beaufort on his shorthand notes about Ida. (Attribute: Beaufort uses smelling salts) *Examine Riot Gear. (Result: Poppy) *Analyze Poppy. (11:00:00; Attribute: The killer eats red velvet cake; New Crime Scene: Withered Posts) *Investigate Withered Posts. (Clues: Messenger Bag, Burned Photo) *Examine Messenger Bag. (Result: Blackmail Threats) *Analyze Blackmail Threats. (06:00:00) *Speak to Charity about Evan's blackmail threats. (Attribute: Charity reads Machiavelli, uses smelling salts, and eats red velvet cake) *Examine Burned Photo. (Result: Old Firehouse Photo) *Quiz August on his old friendship with Evan. (Attribute: August reads Machiavelli, uses smelling salts, and eats red velvet cake) *Go to Chapter 2. (No stars) Chapter 3 *Stop Beaufort sneaking into the workshop. (Attribute: Beaufort reads Machiavelli and eats red velvet cake; New Crime Scene: Wooden Bench) *Investigate Wooden Bench. (Clues: Dirty Sheet, Smashed Pieces, Burned Fabric) *Examine Dirty Sheet. (Result: Sirius' Agenda) *Confront Sirius over his meeting with Evan. (Attribute: Sirius uses smelling salts and eats red velvet cake) *Examine Smashed Pieces. (Result: Romantic Vase) *Confront Sebastian over his romance with Evan's sister. (Attribute: Sebastian reads Machiavelli, uses smelling salts, and eats red velvet cake) *Examine Burned Fabric. (Result: Babygro) *Analyze Babygro. (03:00:00) *Speak to Irina about the stressful pregnancy. (Attribute: Irina reads Machiavelli, uses smelling salts, and eats red velvet cake) *Investigate Smashed Windows. (Clues: Belt, Faded Book) *Examine Belt. (Result: Blood Sample) *Analye Blood Sample. (06:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears an "I VOTED" badge) *Examine Faded Book. (Result: Machiavelli's Works) *Analyze Machiavelli's Works. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a watch) *Take care of the killer now! *Go to Winds of Change (6/6). (No stars) Winds of Change (6/6) *Investigate Bomb Workshop. (Clue: Mechanical Parts) *Examine Mechanical Parts. (Result: Rose Pin) *Analyze Rose Pin. (04:00:00; New Quasi-Suspect: Ida Stanbury) *Arrest Ida for her crimes. (Reward: 20,000 Coins) *Investigate Burning Foyer. (Clue: Safe) *Examine Safe. (Result: Safe Contents) *Examine Safe Contents. (Result: Ida's Files) *Analyze Ida's Files. (06:00:00; New Quasi-Suspect: Cornelius Osborne) *Find out what's wrong from Cornelius. (New Quasi-Suspect: Hugo Osborne) *Attend Hugo's inaugural speech. (Reward: Burger) *Hear Hope's announcement with Sebastian. *Listen to Charity. (Reward: Mayoral Sash) *Move onto a new crime! (1 star) Navigation Category:All Fanmade Cases Category:Cases in A World Forgotten Category:Westfall